William J. Hosey

William J. Hosey
20th Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana
In office 1905 – 1909 1913 – 1917 1921 – 1925 1929 – 1934
Preceded by	1st Term:   Henry C. Berghoff 2nd Term:   Jesse Grice 3rd Term:   Sherman Cutshall 4th Term:   William C. Geake
Succeeded by	1st Term:   Jesse Grice 2nd Term:   Sherman Cutshall 3rd Term:   William C. Geake 4th Term:   Harry W. Baals
Personal details
Born	May 5, 1854 New Orleans, Louisiana
Died	September 10, 1937 (aged 83) Fort Wayne, Indiana
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Mary (McCarthy) Hosey

William J. Hosey (May 5, 1854 – September 10, 1937) was an American politician and the 20th mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Between 1905 and 1934 he served four non-consecutive terms of office.

History

He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana a year after his parents, Michael and Jean Frayne Hosey, immigrated to the United States from County Wexford in Ireland. In 1858, the four-year-old Hosey moved with his family to Mount Vernon, Ohio, where his father took a job as a gardener on the estate of Colonel Jesse P. Buckingham.^[1] (This may instead have been the estate of future General Catharinus P. Buckingham.)

At age 13, three years after his father died from malaria, extreme poverty forced William Hosey to drop out of a Catholic grammar school to work at Mount Vernon-based C & C Cooper Company machine shop. Five years later, William, his mother and older brother Lawrence moved to Fort Wayne, where William took a job as a machinist for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Lawrence died of pneumonia two years later. William worked at the railroad for 34 years.^[1]

During this time, William attended night classes to finish his education. He studied literature and philosophy.^[1]

References

1. Liley, Arthur, et al. The Quest for Fort Wayne (Chapter: William J. Hosey), presented December 19, 1986, BookCrafters, Chelsea, Mich., ISBN 1-199-17329-0